


A Meeting at Sunrise

by LucilleGuignol



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Family Feels, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Reminiscing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-25 23:54:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15651525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucilleGuignol/pseuds/LucilleGuignol
Summary: A peaceful morning within the Azim Steppe, and the first thing Azura Mol decides to do is to travel before the sun rises to god knows where to visit someone she hasn’t talked to in years.





	A Meeting at Sunrise

The winds were cold, yet gentle enough to not chill one’s body entirely. Only the stars, moon and a few torches marking any settlements served as guiding lights throughout the Steppe, although the sun would surely rise soon enough.

As she stepped out of her family’s yurt, Azura let her eyes adjust to the darkness as she uncovered the light within the lantern held in her hand. Feeling her hair being caressed by the winds as she started walking, she listened to the soft rustle of the ground beneath her feet and the murmur of the fires kept within the torches near the guardposts that her tribe had set up. She knew where she had to go, but getting there without catching the ire of any beasts nearby was a more daunting challenge than walking at night with only a lantern and a few flowers on your person.

She adjusted her coat as she stepped on the bridge across Hak Khaal, stopping to take a look at the starry sky above her. In the almost seven years she had been outside of the comfort of her home in the Azim Steppe, Azura would always look up at the stars and feel comforted by their presence, reminding her that even if she was alone, the sight of the millions of lights in the abyssal blue expanse that is the sky would always bring her a sense of calm. Sparkling, shimmering, as if they were tears wept by the Dusk Mother yearning for her lost love. That is at least what the Oronir would say about the stars if they had the chance, not that Azura would ever ask.

She continued walking across the bridge as the sky slowly changed to a more purple hue. The sun was starting to rise, but for Azura it was as a sort of relief since she would not need the lantern anymore. That, and that she was already where she needed to be for her meeting.

“Sorry that I might be a bit late”, she began, a smile forming on her lips. “Didn’t want to wake up the others so I had to walk slowly.”

In front of her was a makeshift grave, the only decorations apart from the crude tombstone being a spear carrying a piece of cloth with the symbol of the Mol tribe, followed by the Nymeia lilies that Azura had now put down. An Eorzean custom by doubt, but one that she’d taken to heart in the years she had spent there. Not only as a gift to the departed, but as a symbol to show that they will never be forgotten.

As the sun was rising to greet the dawn, Azura continued.

“I still remember when I was but a child, when we would sit around the bonfire each night, talking about our purpose of existence and what we wished to become. I’ve seen so much since, and changed for it. If I could, I would have shown you Eorzea in its vast expanse and beauty. The tranquil forests, the blistering deserts, the vast expanse of the sea…”

Her smile faded, her scarlet eyes now carrying a somber look as she choked back tears.

“I know you would have loved everything I would’ve told you, mother. And yet your last moments were spent bleeding to death on a sickbed, not being able to see your daughter grow up. And all I did was cry and beg for you to stay, like the weakling I was. I’m sorry.”

She let a few minutes pass as she heard a pair of distant footsteps, ones she had recognized quite well. Azura knew it was her brother, as no one else knew about this place and that their father would be struck with grief if he ever visited his late wife’s grave. Azura still remembered that one time when they both visited her mother together only a year after her passing and how he just... collapsed in tears.

“Up early again?” Eiren asked, his teal eyes giving of that gentle yet cold stare which only stood out more against his auburn hair and pale complexion. At this point, the sun was visible across the horizon.

Azura chuckled as she watched her brother kneel in front of their mothers final resting place, followed by Eiren sitting down in the ever casual way he’s done - left arm resting on his knee as he pulled his leg up to his chest, the other leg fully stretched out. “I was planning on visiting Reunion today anyway, see what they have and if it might be of use.”

“You really didn’t need to come here, Azura.”

“It’s not the first grave I’ve visited, and it probably won’t be the last. I’m used to it at this point,” she replied with a melancholy undertone.

All Eiren could do was sigh as his little sister sat down next to him, her knees pulled up to her chest and her head against his shoulder. It’s been seven years since their mother died, and even though she clearly didn’t want to show it, Azura started to quietly sob as her brother put his arm around her.

The sun was up high in the sky, illuminating everything and greeting the new day.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I'm Lucille! This is a pretty short story and acted primarily as a warm-up to me slowly coming back to writing things. I originally published this to my Tumblr, but now that I'm on this website I thought it best to put it here too.
> 
> This story is... interesting for me. While I started as a Raen in Final Fantasy XIV, following the launch of Stormblood I decided to change into a Xaela after being disappointed with the lack of lore the former got in comparison. Azura, my player avatar, had to get quite the revamp as a result, and this short-story basically serves as a bit of a character building exercise. I hope that despite its short length that you still like it though.


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